After the short, but very tense funeral Arthur had left and Lancelot and Percival had followed him. Preparing to speak with the Prince, they'd stayed their distance for a time. Neither man knew what the other was thinking, but both men had decided on their own that they ought to continue Merlin's work (protecting Arthur Pendragon).
Coming to the end of the hall, where the throne room was situated, the two men decided to step forward. There was no avoiding it really, unless Lancelot and Percival wanted to wait until much later to speak with the Prince. They did not.
"Arthur, may we have a word," asked Lancelot. "Please, I feel this is important."
"As do I," agreed Percival with a nod of his head.
Arthur stood with his back to the two men. He had his arms lightly folded across his chest and his dull blue eyes focused on the far stone wall. He was the Prince of Camelot, no one could see him cry or show any sort of negative emotion when it came to any sad occasions, but that day it was very hard. He had lost a dear friend and all he could feel was sadness.
Slowly he turned to face Lancelot and Percival, remaining silent as Lancelot began to speak.
"Merlin was a special man. He had the ability to light up any room just by flashing that smile. His affinity to know when something was wrong was uncanny and at times unnerving. He was loyal and stubborn and kind. Merlin was the most humble and selfless man I have met. He never wanted thanks or glory," Lancelot began. "But, there was more to him than just that."
Percival nodded again. "He was special, indeed. Merlin was given a gift. He was born with those abilities. No one else has or ever will have such powerful innate abilities. Those gifts were Merlin and Merlin was those gifts," the burly man added.
"But, there's more. Long before you or Merlin was born there was a prophecy. In it, it spoke of you becoming a great King and uniting the 5 kingdoms to create Albion. Merlin was to be your protector," Lancelot told Arthur. "He didn't know this when he came to Camelot. Someone told him. I don't know who. He didn't say in his letters back home."
"He told us he was scared. Not of you and what you'd do if you found out about his magic, but of failing. He believed in his destiny. He wanted it to happen more than anything in the world. He wanted to protect you and he wasn't afraid to die as long as he was protecting you in the process. Merlin was, however, afraid of going to the pyre. He was worried how you would react, but he never feared you or what you could do," Percival said in a quiet voice.
Lancelot nodded a bit. "Indeed," the man agreed. He then knelt before Arthur. "My lord, I wish to serve you and protect you as Merlin has been doing." Lancelot bowed his head and waited for Arthur's response.
Percival also knelt before the Prince. "And I as well," whispered Percival, looking at the ground.
Arthur slowly unfolded his arms, eying both men closely as he fought to wrap his head around what they both were offering. They were offering their service, in fact their very lives to him. They were trying to fill the void that Merlin had left. More than anything the Prince wanted to say no, but did he really have the right to do that? Good help was hard to come by and here two men whom he trusted with his life were offering to serve him, but then again no one could replace Merlin.
"I thank you both for your generous offer, but I fear that this Albion you speak will never come to pass without Merlin and his guidance and wisdom. I was never one to admit it before, but I truly respected his council and now more than anything I wish I had it. I fear you both would be protecting nothing, but a kingdom that is surely doomed to fall," Arthur said in a quiet and depressed tone of voice.
"Arthur, the unity of Albion is your destiny as much as it was Merlin's. More so, perhaps," said Lancelot. "Merlin's job was to guide you and serve you and he did."
Percival raised his eyes. He'd been staring at the floor. "You say he has guided you and shared his wisdom with you, maybe he shared enough and gave you the tools to succeed," suggested the burly man.
The man paused. He pressed his lips together and sighed. "We don't want to replace Merlin. No one could do that. We just want to help you and protect you," continued Percival in a quiet voice.
"The Kingdom will fail only if we do not try," Lancelot said. "And as long as there is breath in my lung and a beat in my heart, I will gladly serve you, Arthur…we will serve you. Let us help you. Let us protect this land."
Meanwhile, near the tombs, Freya, Gwaine and Elyan stood. The druid girl was cloaked in her blanket and she held lilies in her hand. She looked towards the two men who flanked either side of her.
"I will be fine. I won't be long," she said. "Then, I probably should be moving on. It's not safe for me to stay here. Merlin risked his life for me. I should not waste his gift."
"We will come with you," Elyan offered. "You need protecting."
Freya shook her head. "No, you can't. It is not safe. I could hurt you," the druid said. "But, thank you." Smiling to the dark-skinned man and then at the long-haired man, Freya pushed open the door and entered.
Elyan frowned. He didn't have much experience with tombs, but he didn't think the door should open so easily. The dark-skinned man felt something was wrong.
The room was massive. The stone walls stretched upwards for miles. It was dark and cool, but peaceful. Striding forward, Freya frowned. The sarcophagus's lid was open. Standing on tiptoe, the girl peered in. There was no body. Sick to her stomach she exited at run.
Gwaine caught the girl by the shoulders. "Freya! Freya, what's wrong," he asked. "Calm down and tell me, mate."
"He's gone. Merlin. His body's been taken," Freya sobbed.
"I'll go tell the Princess," Gwaine muttered as he squeezed the druid's shoulders. "Don't worry, we'll figure this out." Letting go of her, the man hurried to the main part of the castle.
Seeing Lancelot and Percival kneeling before a sour-faced Prince, Gwaine crossed his arms over his chest. "Hmmm, now this isn't a sight you see every day," he muttered. Louder, he said "Hey, Princess, you've got a problem. Your tombs empty. It seems there's been a robbery in the castle."
Arthur looked up at Gwaine, his mind still trying to process what the rogue had just said. His tomb was empty? That meant that Merlin was...oh God!
This day just kept getting better and better! Slowly, Arthur put his hands together, bringing them to his mouth as he blew in to them. This just couldn't be happening!
"The tomb should have been sealed," he began, stating the obvious to those present in the room.
"Who made the discovery?"
Arthur was moving then even as the question left his lips. He wanted to put the entire thing behind him; Merlin's death included, but with the body missing, just trying to move on was now out of the picture. The Prince gestured for his men to follow him. It was customary to look around and search for clues as to who took Merlin and why.
"Obviously, it wasn't sealed tight enough. You know those grave robbers, they'll figure out all sorts of tricks to get in," Gwaine muttered as he watched Percival and Lancelot stand. "Was there a knighting ceremony? Aw...I love a good knighting ceremony. Such pomp and circumstance they are, but the ale's good!"
The two other men rolled their eyes and shook their heads. This guy was something else. They had never met a man quite like him. When Arthur beaconed to them to follow, they did.
"Who made the discovery, you ask," Gwaine repeated. What should he do? Lie or tell the truth? He decided bending the facts would work. "Does it really matter? We have a body missing."
With that, he turned and headed down the hallway. Out of the castle, he went straight to the tombs. Things were just as he left them (although Elyan and Freya were not there). Looking back at Arthur and the other men, he said, "So, what are we going to do?"
XOXOXO
Morgause watched the whole funeral hidden in the shadows of a shop that sat a little bit off the street and fenced in. It was the perfect spot. No one could see her, but she could see them. She smirked at the scene – oh if they only knew the truth as to what was really gone. When Arthur left, Morgause also snuck away.
With a little magic, she transported herself to Nimueh's cave. There, she found the dark-haired woman bent over the prone figure that was being mourned. The high priestess crossed her arms over her chest as she stared at the still warlock. "He looks so innocent… so helpless…so defenseless, just lying there. Who would imagine that that boy had so much power as he aptly demonstrated," mused Morgause, pursing her lip.
"So, what are you going to do with him if he doesn't cooperate," asked the woman. "Lock him up…like you did with what's her face? As long as that boy is kept away from Arthur and Camelot, the city will crumble with any little attack."
She looked at the ceiling as she thought about ruling Camelot. Oh, how nice it will be! "Claiming the throne will be easy. Arthur is beside himself with grief. I saw his eyes…they were lifeless," Morgause informed Nimueh. "And the mandrake root is already playing with Uther. He shall fall into madness shortly."
"That reminds me, I must go and replace the root," she said. "I think it is time to bring my sister, Morgana, into our plans. She's within the city. She can help us conquer it."